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The Puritans attack

From the Roxburghe Ballads.
University of Victoria
Library.

Most Puritans with offices in the Church accepted outward
conformity to prevent their positions falling to Catholics;
but they thus compromised themselves, dividing Puritan ranks.
Controversy began after the failure of moderate attempts at
reform through Parliament; conflict escalated to more
fundamental criticisms of church government, doctrine, and
perceived abuses. An organized pamphlet campaign* was
conducted by John Field, who became the London head of a
loose federation of Presbyterian* assemblies.

Focusing their attack on church corruption such as
simony and
pluralism*, the Puritans gained popular
support, as well as the patronage of influential laymen only
too happy to undermine the arbitrary powers of bishops and
ecclesiastical courts*. With the support of patrons
such as Lord
Burghley* and the Earl of Leicester, Puritans
were largely protected from the increasingly reactionary
measures of the Church (and Elizabeth).

Footnotes

Another pamphlet war

The first and second "Admonition of Parliament," written by
Field, were classic criticisms of the Established Church and
gained wide support for Puritans from people who only shared
a desire for the disciplining of corrupt ministers: "such
[ministers] seeke not the Lord Jesus, but theyr own bellies,
clouds they are withoute frute, painted sepulchres full of
dead bones." Even royal supremacy was questioned by the
argument "Christ onelie and not the godlie Magistrate must
appoint what is necessarie for his Ministers."

The Presbyterians

Presbyterianism was Calvinist in origin and was the system of
church government used by the Church of Scotland founded in
1559 by John Knox. Presbyters (elders) were elected by the
congregation to serve as their ministers and meet at
assemblies, which governed the Church as a whole. Religious
government was independent from secular politics.

Pluralism

"[The minister] posteth it over, as fast as he can gallop.
For either he hathe two places to serve, or else there are
some games to be playde in the afternoone, as. . .heathnishe
dauncing for the ring, a beare or a bull to be baited, or
else. . .an enterlude to be plaide." The practices of simony
(buying and selling church offices) and pluralism were
ancient
in origin.

Defending common law

Lawyers in particular resented the Church
courts, as their inquisitional practices
were against the traditions of common law and smacked of
Catholic Counter-Reformation.

Burghley and Leicester

Burghley and Leicester were Privy Councillors, and were also
Chancellors of the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.
Under Burghley's protection, Cambridge especially became a
training ground for Puritans, helping to spread their beliefs
among the wealthy classes.

The empire strikes back

The appointment of John Whitgift as Archbishop of Canterbury
in 1583 was a major turning point for the Elizabethan Church.
He led a strong counter-attack against the Puritans, and with
the death of John Field in 1588 their tenuous confederation
crumbled.

Until the reign of James I, the Puritan movement for reform
became focused upon individual piety, education and
preaching. Continued persecution led a group of separatist
Pilgrims to emigrate to America in 1620 (on board the
Mayflower); others moved to Europe. However,
remaining Puritans continued to work within Parliament, where
their fortunes improved as Parliament increasingly asserted
its rights against the absolutist claims of
James and his son,
Charles
I.